Monday, November 07, 2005

Various stuff

Hi all,

Hope you had a fun weekend. Saturday night I went out with a group of like 12 people to BarLola - this cool new Spanish tapas restaurant on Comm Ave. Activity Director picked a winning place! The food was delish and the restaurant had a fun atmosphere. And a great martini menu as well. I like tapas cause you aren't wedded to one food choice. Very fun. I'd definitely go back!

After dinner we went out to a few bars and I didn't get back home 'til 2am! Yawn!

Sunday I slept most of the day but then went to my mom's. She recently sold my childhood home and I had to go collect some of my stuff before the new owners took posession. It was weird and sad to walk through the rooms and think that this would be the last time I ever did. I looked at my old bedroom and remembered closing the door, cranking the music and dancing away my teenage angst. I looked at the stairs and remembered every Christmas, my brother and I running downstairs to gasp at the presents under the tree. I looked at the family room and remembered all the warm cozy nights, reading by the fire. I looked at the backyard and remembered the awesome treehouses my dad built and all the fun we had in them.

The house has so many memories for me. I lived there from birth til I went away to college. My dad built the place - so it wasn't even like it had ever known any other family except mine. I kept it together until I left, then cried in the car on the way home. :(

The place was sort of my touchstone. No matter what happened, it was always there to come back to. Now it belongs to someone else. It sucks. I wish I had money - I would have bought it myself just to keep it in the family. :( But oh well, what can you do? I guess if I've learned anything at all this summer and fall it's that material posessions come and go and you have to concentrate your love on people, not things. It's just a house. It's bricks and wood. My family- the people who gave that house its meaning and memories - are still here. And they can never be sold or destroyed.

Anyway - probably way too melancholy for a Monday morning, but whatever.

Marianne

4 comments:

merlinsmuse said...

You brought tears to my eyes, but then I cry at pretty much anything.

Sorry your childhood home was sold, but you are so right about it being the people who count, not material possessions.

Have a great week
Cathy

The (Mis)Adventures of a Single City Chick said...

As I read your post it brought back the exact same memories from when my family home was sold. Funny how even as an adult, it's difficult to face a cutting of ties to our childhood as relinquishing such a major part of our existence--the keeper of all our memories. But like you mentioned, it's not really the material things that hold those cherished memories, bur rather it's the people who shared them with us. I can still envision my childhood home, feel the shag (yes, I'm dating myself) carpet between my toes and see every aspect of my home as if I just stepped out the front door for the last time. Just remember, as long as you've got your memories, your childhood home will always remain just as you left it...complete with teenage angst. ;-)

Christina

thewriterslife said...

You know, I just had a weird thought. After you go, you know after you leave this physical place, uh...well, croak is another word for it...you can go back and haunt the new owners and get your house back! Marvelous idea, don't you think? Me thinks I need more coffee...

Mari Mancusi said...

Ooh - haunting my house! What a great idea! That way I can have my old bedroom back. :)

Thanks guys! It's nice to know others have felt the same way.